[ExI] global warming again.

[Keith Henson]

2009/3/19 Stefano Vaj <stefano.vaj at gmail.com>:
> On Thu, Mar 19, 2009 at 11:51 PM, Keith Henson <hkeithhenson at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>>
>> How do you propose to prevent fission neutrons from making vaporized
>> rock radioactive?
>
> I don't, actually. :-)
>
> I just wonder whether the relevant increase in radioactivity could ever be a
> match for the "billion of deaths" preconised by GW and oil-peak
> prophecies...

If we don't do something peak energy may kill that many.  Global
warming probably happens well after.

>> Please explain the orbital mechanics of going from a nuclear powered
>> cannon launch to GEO.  Earth escape I can see, but how do you propose
>> to match with GEO?
>
> Orion Project does not have anything to do with a "cannon". For all
> practical aspects, it is a pulse rocket like the V1, if I am not mistaken,
> albeit an unconventional and large-scale one. See, e.g.,
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_(nuclear_propulsion)

Sorry, was mixing this with a proposal to use bombs for nuclear cannon
launches on another mailing list.

But I did take a look at the wiki article.  If half of the largest one
is payload, then one launch puts up 4 million kg.  The throughput of
the suborbital rocket and laser system puts up about this much in 4
years.  So the two transport systems are not that far apart.  A 4 GW
laser is one ton of TNT per second.

snip

Keith